Matthew 13

That day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Large crowds gathered around him, so he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore. He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Look, a sower went out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate them. Others fell on rocky ground, where they had little soil. They sprang up immediately because the soil was not deep. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and because they had no root, they withered. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. Let anyone who has ears listen.” The disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He answered them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but it has not been given to them. For whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear or understand. In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:
‘You will hear and hear, but never understand;
you will look and look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, their ears hear with difficulty, and they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it. Hear, then, the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown beside the path. The one sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself, but lasts only a little while. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The one sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worry of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But the one sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit, producing a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” He set another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared. The master’s slaves came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ He told them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you uproot the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First gather the weeds and tie them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” He set another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” Jesus spoke all these things to the crowds in parables, and he said nothing to them without a parable, to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter things hidden since creation.” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and those who practice lawlessness, and throw them into the fiery furnace. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone who has ears listen. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid. In his joy he goes and sells all he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. When he found one pearl of great value, he went and sold all he had and bought it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net cast into the sea that gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, they drew it onto the shore, sat down, and gathered the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house who brings out of his treasure things new and old.” When Jesus finished these parables, he left that place. He came to his hometown and taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miracles? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.” And he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.

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